It's been a while...

      I feel like I should write a million pages about grad school, but to sum it all up: There is tremendous value in therapy and I've seen it help people. People are good through and through, they just don't know how to be good in some situations. We are relational beings: relationships heal, relationships hurt...healthy relationships are everything. My teachers are brilliant and inspiring people. The workload is really not too terrible, just a lot of reading, oral presentations, and a few projects. I actually DO my reading (this is huge) and it actually interests me (even more huge). I LOVE my cohort and I know we are all in this program together for a reason. I know for a fact that I'm in the right place at the right time, a feeling I was never completely sure about in my psychology undergrad. I am beyond happy in this program and feel very blessed to have this experience.

Happenings around here: 
* I'm planning the most awesome Halloween party for my cohort and I'm going a tad bit obsessive. Oh well, I've got to make life more exciting every once in a while. I've planner a spooky scavenger hunt outside with lots of decorations and treats! Now we just need a costume for Kona (Pearl is wearing the island hussy from last year) and a we need something good for Ed and I to be. Any ideas? I was thinking Joan and Cooper from Mad Men, but people around here don't really watch much Mad Men...a little too racy for the average Provo dweller, so I'd rather do something people know. 
* It's finally Fall! The best time of the year for clothes, food, weather, and anticipation for all the best holidays! I'm so excited for our leaves to turn bright red all over the house just like last year. I've bought spiced pumpkin candles and plenty of hot chocolate for the next few months. 
*Ed update: obsessed with Tetris, beyond busy with bishopric, wellsteps, masters program, and research, dented my brand new mac today but I'm telling myself it was an accident to not be mad, sweet husband lately offering free foot massages, dropping me off at school on his only day to sleep in, cuddling at night without screaming "stop touching me, I'm so hot!", listening to me talk about my day while making dinner together and so on. It's the simple things that matter. 
* We've decided on Burley for Thanksgiving (bring on the chocolate pie and all the rest of Karen's cooking!) and a California roadtrip for Christmas! Yay, we are officially grown ups doing our own thing for the holidays. 
* Tess is going on a mission! Thanks to an awesome announcement in general conference and I'm so excited for her! I can't wait to see where she goes! She will be the first missionary I every write consistently (I can be terrible friend sometimes).
* Politics are going to be the death of me. I took two pages of notes during the first presidential debate to try and form my own Amanda opinion and I don't know what to do. Don't give me your input paaaaleeeeease. I don't want to hear another mormon telling me to vote for Mitt and trying to make people feel bad for having a different opinion that may even lead to voting for Obama. Oh no! The enemy! Come on people, it's not like he wants America to suffer, he's a good person, he just has a different opinion than you. It's OKAY, America is not going communist or socialist or whatever other end of the world assumption you want to make. Okay I'm ranting. I hate politics! It makes me really not want to vote because I honestly don't like either one, but Ed says it's un-American to not vote and he won't let his wife commit such a crime. All I know is that I'm friends with way too many extreme voters on facebook and I am never commenting on anything political again (learned my lesson while trying to be Christlike haha a story for a different day). It's never good when you offend family members on facebook in something related to politics. I hope no one takes this paragraph offensively either, I'm just sick of the strong, hate the enemy opinions from both sides. 

Well I've probably written enough to get a good picture of life now. It's happy go lucky, but busy. A good busy. I need the busy life to be happy.